Son Jung-woo (24), who ran the'Welcome to Video' child sexual exploitation site, avoided repatriation.
The 20th Detective of Seoul High Court (Deputy Judge Kang Young-soo, Moonkyung Moon and Jaechan Lee) decided not to allow the extradition of the criminal handed by the prosecution on the 6th.
The judiciary judged that it was difficult to conclude the repatriation of Mr. Son in light of the necessity to severely punish sexual crimes committed across borders, the crime of child sexual exploitation, and the need to combat international money laundering.
In addition, he explained, "If you deliver Mr. Son to the United States, it is difficult for Korea to rule out the possibility of disrupting the investigation (related to sexual exploitation)."
He added, "The court's judgment is that not giving Mr. Son a significant benefit in preventing and suppressing the production of pornography for children and adolescents in Korea."
In particular, the court said, "(Non-return decision) never gives Mr. Son an indulgence. He wants to actively cooperate with the investigation and be punished properly."
Son Jung-woo, operator of the world's largest children's sexual exploitation site'Welcome to Video', is released from the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi-do on the afternoon of the 6th after being released by the court for refusing to return to the United States.
Son Jung-woo, the operator of the world's largest children's sexual exploitation site'Welcome to Video', was released on Wednesday afternoon by the court's decision to refrain from repatriating the US and is bowing to reporters while leaving Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi-do.
The third interrogation of the extradition screening by Son Jung-woo, the operator of the world's largest child sexual exploitation site'Welcome to Video', was held at Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu on the 6th. Son Jung-woo's father is out of court after observing the trial.
Son was arrested in March 2018 for allegedly spreading sexual exploitation of children and adolescents by running the Internet site'Welcome to Video' on the Dark Web, which can only be accessed using a special browser.
He operated the site from July 2015 until redemption. During this period, it was found that over 20,000 paid members received hundreds of millions of cryptocurrencies and distributed 2220,000 pornography.
The first sentence sentenced Son to three years of probation in two years of imprisonment, but the second sentence sentenced him to one year and six months in prison, and afterwards, the sentence was finalized without notice, and Son was due to be released on April 27 this year.
However, the U.S. Department of Justice has requested the repatriation of Mr. Son under the crime extradition treaty, and our Justice Department accepted this and the Seoul High Court filed for extradition.
Mr. Son was delayed from being released after a new arrest warrant was issued before the expiration date, and he had been questioned three times beforehand on whether to deliver the criminal.
(Photo = Yonhap News)